Actress-comedian Amy Schumer is throwing her weight behind Michelle Obama’s effort to promote the For the People Act, a Democratic-backed legislation that would gut voter identification requirements, restore voting rights to convicted felons, and expand vote by mail.
The 791-page bill bill, which has been condemned by Republicans as a potential disaster for the country, would essentially federalize elections by seizing power from states. It would also protect illegal aliens from prosecution if they are registered to vote automatically and never made an affirmative declaration that they were U.S. citizens.
Amy Schumer, who is a cousin of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), expressed her support for the bill in an Instagram post Thursday, saying that she is “proud” to stand with Michelle Obama.
“Now is our chance to protect and strengthen our democracy and put power back where it belongs—with the people,” Schumer wrote.
Earlier this week, Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote organization published an open letter urging Americans to pressure Congress into passing the bill. The letter invokess the January 6 Capitol Hill riots, calling it a “historic day of shame.”
“We urge every American to remember how it felt to watch as our Capitol was desecrated earlier this year—and to channel that outrage into patriotic duty,” says the letter, which is co-signed by former Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett.
Among the more than 60 celebrities who signed their names to the letter are Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Chelsea Handler, Faith Hill, Eva Longoria, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at [email protected]